Quick Rating: 4.5 / 5

The Cover: A picture I'm sure many manga fans have seen again and again online. On the front we have Sailormoon with Tuxedo Mask and Luna set against a night sky with a huge cresent moon behind them. On the back we have a shot of Sailormoon and all the Inner Scouts. Very appropriate as by the end of this volume they are all introduced.

In Brief: I will not spoil this issue for those that havn't read it yet. While the anime is based off of the events that happen in the manga the anime writers have taken a lot of creative lisence in bringing Sailormoon to tv and film. The manga is more mature in several ways from characterisation (more sexual) to action (blood and suicide) to the overall drama of the story.
In this second volume things really pick up pace with Jupiter and Sailor V/enus finally being introduced to the existing Sailors Mars, Mercury and Moon. Artemis is also introduced adding some much needed background for Luna and some references to the events that happened in the Codename is Sailor V manga series (unavaliable in English speaking countries so I suggest an import store if you want to pick up those three volumes).

Now I really need to emphasise how different this (and the next) volume is compared to it's episode counterparts in the anime. I don't want to spoil it for anyone but you will be pleasantly suprised by how much was left out of the anime. More background of Queen Beryl is given as well as Jupiter exhibiting more depth to her electric powers rather than her simply throwing bolts of lightning like in the animated version. Sailor V/enus fans will especially get a kick out of this volume because of the presence the character exhibits chapters before the reader even sees her physically!

P.S. That double page spread of Princess Serenity activating the crystal over Tokyo Tower is one of my favourite scenes in the entire manga run!

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